WASHINGTON (CNA) — A baseball team of 11 Catholic priests and seminarians from the Archdiocese of Washington will play a team of high school and college varsity players to help promote vocations. The team’s first baseman, Father Larry Young, can’t wait for the game.

“We’re going to start something where we can play three games a year around the archdiocese. This is a forum to promote vocations to the priesthood in a fresh, different way,” said Father Young, the pastor of Our Lady’s Church in Leonardtown, Md.

Many of the players have experience in college or high-school baseball.

“There’s talent among the seminarians and the priests. I think we’ve got a good team,” the priest said.

The team, named the D.C. Padres, has a roster of five priests and six seminarians. Their first game is scheduled for 4:30pm Sunday, Sept. 4, at Bowie Baysox Stadium in Bowie, Md. Tickets to the 2pm Sept. 4 Baysox game will serve as admittance to the later D.C. Padres game. The team is also offering discounted tickets through the parish office at Our Lady’s Church.

The Catholic community is rallying around the D.C. Padres. One parishioner at Our Lady’s Church ordered the shirts and hats for the men, while St. Mary’s Ryken High school is lending the team their equipment.

During the game’s “third-inning stretch,” the team will talk to the crowd about the gift of the priesthood. They will invite young men to pray and consider whether God is calling them to follow him as priests.

Almost 500 game tickets have been sold, Father Young told CNA on Sept. 1.

“It should be a nice crowd of people to watch this. People seem to react favorably. It’s a novelty, the first time,” he said.

“It’s kind of extraordinary for people to hear that priests and seminarians are playing fast-pitch baseball. Softball is one thing, and there’s basketball. But playing varsity baseball is a little unusual.”

Father Young developed the idea with Father Larry Swink, pastor of Jesus the Divine Word in Huntingtown, Md. Both men witnessed the success of the D.C. Hood basketball team, which is also made up of priests and seminarians.

The basketball team has been around for several years, and Father Young has played in a few games.

“The basketball team this year is going to be awesome,” he reported. “Their team is stacked.”

The team travels to area parishes and has four or five games a year. During halftime, the crowd hears from a priest or seminarian, who talks about vocations.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore also has a basketball team called Men in Black.

Father Young recommended that other dioceses consider similar sports programs to encourage vocations.

“It seems like it’s spreading,” he said. “If nothing else, it creates buzz, and people talk about these things. It just keeps it in people’s minds.

“It’s a nice, light, fun event that lets people see their priests out there in a different setting than they’re used to.”

HI Fr. Larry! This is Wendy Mullan’s (Greenaway) mom…I was so excited to read of your team in a nationally known newspaper. Our family has been so blessed to know many such vocations as yourself, and have a few in our family as well. Fr. Michael DeAscanis is doing great work in Baltimore, and our Fr. Michael is in Dublin. It’s so great to see that the Holy Spirit is alive and well! There are so many ways that young people can serve the Church now, even outside of religious vocations: FOCUS, and NET ministries, apostolates associated with religious groups, campus ministry, parish youth ministry…And you don’t even have to be able to play baseball!
The age of the new evangelization prophesied by Pope John Paul II is here and it is now!!

Posted by Fr. Larry Young on Tuesday, Sep, 6, 2011 9:30 AM (EST):

There have been basketball teams consisting entirely of priests and seminarians for the past few years in both the Archdiocese’s of Washington (‘The DC Hood’) and Baltimore (‘Men in Black’). They play 3-5 games a year in parishes in order to promote vocations. There has also been an effort for quite a few years now to do the same with running the Marine Corps Marathon for vocations: http://www.adw.org/vocations/runforvocations.asp Not sure about soccer just yet. The DC Padres hope to play again in late Sept/early Oct against a varsity high school baseball team from The Heights school.

Posted by Michelle on Sunday, Sep, 4, 2011 10:06 PM (EST):

How about basketball? Or Soccer? Or Cross Country? There are many priests that are dedicated runners!!

Posted by Wsquared on Friday, Sep, 2, 2011 7:31 PM (EST):

As a Catholic and a baseball fan, how I wish I could see this!

Posted by Audrey on Friday, Sep, 2, 2011 5:01 PM (EST):

This is a really great idea all around! It gets people together, gets priests exercise (haha), reaches out to young men, fosters vocations, works as a great fundraiser… I think every diocese should do this!

Join the Discussion

We encourage a lively and honest discussion of our content. We ask that charity guide your words.
By submitting this form, you are agreeing to our discussion guidelines.
Comments are published at our discretion. We won't publish comments that lack charity, are off topic, or are more than 400 words.
Thank you for keeping this forum thoughtful and respectful.